But What About Socialization?

The boys with three friends over to spend the night;
they spent hours outside playing nerf guns and swimming,
followed by talking into the wee hours of the morning.

Jibby and some of his classmates ham it up for the camera.
I told them to look like they were working!

It's All About Perspective

Drinking Diet Coke from an orange glass
 on the porch with sun streaming through.

I usually forget, but when I remember to look with a curious mind at the everyday things around me . . . 
I see beauty everywhere.

Audrey fetches a ball.

What's Happening?!

John Robert shows off his Luigi hat.

He has suddenly become confident enough 

to be silly!

What's Happening?! Instead of simply easing forward with homeschool, we have added several new activities.  They are each worthwhile, and yet I now have to consult my calendar daily to remember what is planned!

John Robert is taking three classes at the Montessori school: algebra, science, and a writing workshop taught by me.  Spencer also takes the writing workshop-- much to his dismay.  To my amusement, Spencer's latest writing piece is a persuasive essay entitled, "Why I Shouldn't Have to Write this Essay!"  Both boys are doing very well, and I'm pleased to see their writing skills in relation to other students. 

Spencer in striped shirt on far right
at the Shakespeare Theatre in Atlanta.

We've begun attending a monthly Shakespeare workshop with the younger boys and a couple of friends.  They've been acting and learning Shakespearean language.  We'll be going to see the opening of A Comedy of Errors this Thursday. 

Denver in the back row center.
He is making sound effects for the action onstage.

Today, Paw Paw takes John Robert and Spencer to meet local politicians at a Town Hall meeting.  They will meet a U.S. Senator, the Chairman of our board of commissioners, a state representative, and our district commissioner.  This will be a nice complement to their Constitutional studies they've been doing with Paw Paw all summer.

Paw Paw and the boys on their way to meet local politicians.

Spencer loves this sign at Jimmy John's sandwich shop;
this is where we stop after his weekly computer coding class.

Spencer is taking a computer coding class on Saturdays in Atlanta.  Denver is getting ready to begin a weekly dog training class, and John Robert's swim team begins again in one week.

We are busy with all the usual homeschool activities, too: Latin, history, math, writing, reading, Spanish, art, music, science, and grammar.

Years ago, I remember wondering what women did all day when they didn't work outside the home full time.  Now I know.  They are just as busy.  They just don't wear nice clothes and make up while they're doing it! 

The boys have returned to Latin studies
with Rosetta Stone.

Denver fills out his reading log.

Denver enjoys painting his plague doctor mask.

Cracking a New Code

Thanks to our friends Jill and Quinn, we have a new way to spend Saturday afternoons. They told us about Start:Code in Atlanta, and now Spencer will be spending the next seven Saturdays learning new and exciting things about computer programming.  He will be learning to program games using Scratch.

Spencer has been struggling mightily with his Java based Minecraft coding tutorial he has been working on since his birthday.  It is very demanding, and even the slightest error causes major problems.  Although he seems determined to progress with this tutorial, I do know that he has been very frustrated, as have I.

When I looked at Start:Code's website and saw all the beginner level courses, I asked Spencer if he would be interested.  A year ago, he said "No", but this summer he said, "Yes, That sounds good."  I think maybe he realizes that computer programming is a bit more complicated than he first thought, and that it might be nice to have a guide.

To his delight, his new teacher, Scott, is very knowledgeable and friendly.  The teacher's assistant at Start:Code is a young man named Emmanuel.  Spencer thought that his name was "a manual" and giggled to himself the whole time at the thought of having a human helper who was "a manual."

During his hour and a half class this afternoon, he never spoke to anyone other than the teacher and the assistant; and he never glanced at me.  I could not tell if he was having a good time or not.  After he packed up and we walked out, he said, "That was GREAT!  It was so much easier than coding in Java; and did you see the game I made?"  

I had seen his work, and it looked like a good start to a Pac-man style game.  He was very pleased with himself, and continued to work on his new program after we arrived home, taking a break only for dinner and swimming.

Good day with Pencie.

Meet Jake and Audrey

Jake and Denver

For my seven year old son, Denver, it is a dream come true: a dog of his own. 

We found Jake by accident when we went to PetSmart to purchase crickets for Spencer's gecko, Spike.  It happened to be Pet Adoption Day.  And there, lying on his side, was an 18 month old yellow lab.  Denver woke him up and took him out on a leash. I was talking to another woman when I looked over at Denver.  He and Jake were rolling on the sidewalk playing and kissing one another.  An undeniable match.  We signed some papers and took him home.

Earlier that week, I realized our house was far too quiet and clean without a dog.  I missed having a running partner; and even though I was not ready for another German Shepard who might remind me too much of Lady, I had been looking at puppy rescue websites.  

Audrey-- also known as Little Bit

I saw a photo of a gangly puppy with wide green eyes.  She looked like a doberman, but the website listed her as a purebred Australian Kelpie.  Having never heard of such a breed, I discovered that Kelpie's are medium sized herding dogs who can run for hours in hot weather; they are extremely intelligent, and fiercely loyal to their owners.  Perfect!

The problem was that after making an inquiry, I hadn't heard back.  So I assumed she was not available, and we came home with Jake.  One hour later, I received a call.  My four month old Kelpie puppy was bathed, spayed, had all her shots, and was waiting for me to pick her up!  After a moment's hesitation, I agreed.  She quickly became known as Audrey-- the bright, quick, and slightly ridiculous looking puppy.

Poor John was out on a nine day trip when all of this occurred.  He was not thrilled to hear of our new family members.  After five days home with them, however, he can't help but love them.  Uh . . . right, John?

Jake is all love and snuggles until you throw a ball.  Then he turns into bounding energy and lives up to his retriever name.  When not playing or eating, you can find him curled up snoozing.  He is perfect for Denver.

Audrey went from not knowing what a leash is to heeling, sitting, and lying down on command within about 24 hours.  When she snuggled up and slept next to John on his first night home, he didn't complain.  When she rolled over and fell down between the mattress and the footboard, he was alarmed.  She didn't yelp; she just looked up at him.  When he managed to free her, and she just went on her merry way, I think he was smitten.

So here we are with our new family members, Jake and Audrey.  You don't have to worry about being bitten, but they might jump into your car and lick you to death!